Ninja Academy, the second day of the graduation exams.
The school was at least somewhat responsible. In the morning, the instructor impatiently reiterated the essential rules every ninja must know. The afternoon was reserved for team assignments. Today, Saiki and the others would officially graduate.
In the afternoon, as he watched his classmates being led away one by one, a rare look of melancholy appeared on Saiki's face.
The overall skill level of this graduating class was leaps and bounds ahead of Naruto's generation decades later. They had undergone targeted, practical basic training specifically designed for wartime. Yet, at the end of the day, they were still children barely ten years old!
Once they stepped onto the battlefield, how many of them would actually survive?
This was the brutal reality unfolding right before his eyes. Saiki felt that, aside from the named characters who drove the original plot, many of these kids were already walking corpses.
Furthermore, because of the butterfly effect of his presence, he had no idea how many people who were supposed to live might now die.
The students had assumed they would be grouped into traditional three-man squads, but with the village now entering a state of war, Konoha had already suffered significant personnel losses. The graduates were being split up—one or two at a time—to fill the gaps in existing teams.
Nearly half the class was gone, and very few had been placed into full three-man squads.
While he wasn't sure about Genhai sitting next to Shizune, based on Tsunade's hints yesterday, Saiki was certain that he and Shizune would be placed together.
In a way, Saiki was enjoying the privileges of Konoha's elite class.
Soon, Kurenai Yuhi was taken away. However, there was no need to worry about her safety, as her commanding officer was her own father, Shinko Yuhi.
Although Shinko Yuhi was "only" an elite Chunin, as a Genjutsu specialist, he was quite formidable.
Under Kurenai's reluctant gaze, Saiki smiled and waved at her. He had grown accustomed to those longing looks.
Practically every young girl in the class who was called away would cast one last glance at him. Saiki would return each look with a gentle smile, knowing that once they left today, he might never see them again.
It made sense why these girls wanted to be on his team. Beyond just thirsting for his body, it was actually a very smart survival strategy. After all, he was a hidden "cheat code." On the battlefield, as long as they didn't have the catastrophic bad luck to be surrounded by a squad of Jonin or encounter a Kage-level powerhouse, surviving alongside him was practically guaranteed.
A few more students left. Then, a handsome, blonde-haired young man with a warm smile walked in, accompanied by a smug-looking, silver-haired boy wearing a mask that covered the lower half of his face.
One was Minato Namikaze, the future Fourth Hokage, the "Yellow Flash"—who, like Saiki, understood the value of "catching them young." Of course, he didn't hold that legendary title just yet.
The other shared Saiki's name pronunciation (Saiki / Hatake). He was the future Sixth Hokage, the "Copy Ninja," "Kakashi of the Sharingan." Of course, right now, he was still just Kakashi Hatake.
Saiki observed the pair with amusement. The death of the White Fang had clearly left a deep psychological scar on Kakashi. Feeling the sharp, defensive edge radiating from the boy, Saiki shook his head. If Kakashi weren't one of the main characters blessed with insane plot armor, he would have died a long time ago.
Saiki thought he was being subtle, but Minato noticed his gaze, looked his way, and offered a friendly smile.
Such sharp instincts. No wonder he mastered the Flying Thunder God Jutsu! Saiki smiled back, lamenting internally that such a man was destined to die so young.
At this brief meeting, Saiki had no idea just how intertwined their paths would become in the future.
"Rin Nohara, Obito Uchiha."
Without Saiki's interference, history followed its original course. After glancing at Saiki, Minato called out Rin and Obito's names.
Saiki wasn't the only one who recognized Kakashi. Upon seeing that tuft of silver hair, Obito immediately started shouting, "Hey! Aren't you Kakashi Hatake? You're in our squad?!"
As he spoke, Obito shot a glare toward Saiki, complaining loudly, "You guys named Saiki (Hatake) really are like ghosts that won't go away!"
Kakashi had graduated after only six months at the Academy. It just went to show that Obito and Kakashi truly were destined to be lifelong "frenemies"; Obito had recognized him instantly.
However, Obito quickly tossed Saiki and Kakashi to the back of his mind, turning to Rin with unbridled excitement. After all, he was on the same team as his goddess!
But Rin completely ignored him, turning her head to look at Saiki instead.
Faced with Rin's reluctant gaze, Saiki smiled and waved. "Rin, make sure you protect yourself out there!"
"Mm. Saiki-kun, please take care of yourself too!" Rin nodded with a bright smile.
At this, Obito completely lost his mind. "You damn bastard Saiki! We don't need your concern! I'll protect Rin myself!"
Faced with his shouting, Saiki just smiled, thinking to himself, Without you around, Rin is actually the safest.
Besides, Saiki didn't even need to respond. Rin looked displeased, though she tried to keep her voice gentle. "Obito, how can you say that to Saiki-kun?"
Like a true simp, seeing the displeasure in Rin's eyes made Obito instantly deflate.
Observing the dynamic of his new team, Minato felt a bit awkward. It seemed the relationships between his students were going to be rather... complicated.
"Alright, Obito, Rin. If you have more to say, let's wait until we leave," Minato said with a warm smile.
"Rin, if you ever have free time, remember to come over to my place for dinner!" Saiki called out with a smile before she left, almost as if he were deliberately provoking Obito.
In truth, he had said something similar to almost every girl who had left.
But Rin still nodded happily, flashing a heartwarming, sweet smile. "Mm!"
As for Obito's furious, teeth-grinding glare, Saiki merely chuckled!
Minato, having taken in the entire exchange, led Kakashi and the others out. As they walked, he remarked, "That classmate of yours in Kakashi's class is quite formidable."
"Classmate? Who?" Kakashi asked, looking at Minato with his dead-fish eyes.
"The one who just said goodbye to Obito and Rin."
Hearing it was about Saiki, Obito immediately jumped in. "That guy Saiki is just average! One day, I'm going to surpass him completely!"
"Don't say that, Obito. Saiki works very hard. If you want to surpass him, you'll need to try your absolute best!" Rin offered an objective assessment of the confident Obito.
Back in the classroom, Saiki had no idea he was being discussed. He watched his classmates leave with their respective Jonin until only three remained: Saiki, Shizune, and Genhai.
"Boss, why are we the last ones left?" Genhai asked nervously, while Shizune looked at Saiki with equal tension.
Dammit, is it a rule that the main character always gets picked last? Saiki grumbled internally, but he smiled and comforted them. "Don't worry. It looks like we're a three-man squad. Our sensei should be here soon."
After reassuring them, Saiki cursed again in his mind: What the hell kind of 'surprise' was Tsunade talking about? Who is it?
Just as Saiki and the others were losing their patience, the classroom door finally opened.
Or, more accurately, it was kicked open with a massive BANG!
"Ninja registration numbers 10860 Saiki Shiroya, 10861 Shizune, and 10862 Genhai Kobayashi! Where are you?"
Through the kicked-open door stepped a woman wearing a standard Konoha green flak jacket. She had a beautiful, oval-shaped face, pale skin, and vibrant, long crimson hair. Her voice boomed with a volume and energy that rivaled Tsunade's as she roared her introduction.
"Sister Kushina!"
Seeing the woman, Shizune greeted her with a bright smile.
The newcomer was none other than the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, a descendant of the Uzumaki Clan—Kushina Uzumaki. Saiki felt a headache coming on.
In the three years since he had been brought to Konoha, he had only seen Kushina two or three times, but she had left a deep impression on him.
How should he put it?
Currently, Kushina and Minato Namikaze weren't officially a couple yet. Though Minato was Jiraiya's student, he rarely interacted with Tsunade, so Saiki had never crossed paths with him.
Shizune knew Kushina because Kushina was the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and a relative of Tsunade's grandmother, Mito Uzumaki.
The current, untamed Kushina was still the terrifying "Red Hot-Blooded Habanero." She walked around with an aura that screamed "Don't mess with me," and people literally crossed the street to avoid her.
Kushina's terrifying reputation wasn't just known to Saiki; even Genhai beside him trembled slightly, as her notoriety was truly widespread.
However, Shizune's affectionate greeting broke Kushina's tough exterior. She had originally planned to give her new "toys" a harsh show of dominance.
Still, Kushina forced her imposing aura back up. "Ahem! So it's you three, huh? Follow me."
"Let's go," Saiki said, standing up first. The other two followed closely behind him.
As the protagonist of his own story, Saiki didn't wear some flashy custom robe like others might; he wore a standard, functional ninja outfit. However, he absolutely refused to wear open-toed sandals or fishnet armor.
Because wearing open-toed sandals always made Saiki feel like someone was going to step on his toes or drop something on them, he wore waterproof leather boots instead.
As for fishnet shirts—they didn't absorb sweat and stank easily. In Saiki's opinion, they were fine for women, but for men... it was just weird.
Today, he had received his "dog tag"—no, his forehead protector—and he wore it properly tied around his forehead, just as standard protocol demanded.
The forehead protector was meant to identify friend from foe on the battlefield. Those who tied it around their arms or wore it as a necklace shouldn't complain if a nervous comrade accidentally attacked them in the chaos of war.
In a clearing within the Konoha forest serving as a training ground.
"Starting today, you are my subordinates. Let's do some self-introductions!"
With her arms crossed over her chest, Kushina looked at the three of them with boundless energy and introduced herself first. "My name is Kushina Uzumaki. I am a Chunin. You can call me Sensei Kushina, Sister Kushina, or just Kushina—it doesn't matter."
Was Kushina weak? As the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, she was anything but weak.
She also possessed the immensely powerful sealing jutsu of the Uzumaki Clan. She was incredibly strong.
But why was Kushina only a Chunin? It was precisely because of her status as the Jinchuriki. She was restricted from taking many of the high-risk missions required for promotion to Jonin, so her official rank remained stalled at Chunin.
"I love eating salty ramen, and I hate bitter things and tomatoes. As for my dream... you don't need to know that."
Even though Kushina didn't reveal her dream, the terrifying aura radiating from her ensured none of the three dared to ask.
Looking at Kushina, Saiki was speechless. She hated tomatoes—not because of the taste, but obviously because they shared the color of her hair.
As for her dream, Saiki knew exactly what it was: to become Hokage. The reason she hesitated before mentioning it was definitely because of Minato Namikaze. Since Minato also wanted to be Hokage, the current Kushina probably wanted to become "the Hokage's woman."
After she finished, seeing that neither Saiki nor Genhai reacted much, Kushina turned her gaze to Shizune.
Under Kushina's intense stare, Shizune stepped forward with a blush.
"My name is Shizune. I am a Genin. I love eating the food Saiki-kun cooks, and I hate pork. My dream is... is to become a great Medical Ninja like Lady Tsunade."
Seeing Shizune steal a glance at him while mentioning her dream, Saiki instantly saw through the little girl's true thoughts.
Kushina noticed it too, casting an amused look at Saiki.
Next was Genhai—who told him to stand in the middle?
Facing Kushina, Genhai was nervous, but he managed his introduction. "My name is Genhai Kobayashi. I am a Genin. I love whatever my mother cooks. My dream is to become a great ninja like my father."
Kushina nodded, and finally, her gaze fell upon Saiki.
"What about you?"
From the very beginning, being watched by Saiki made Kushina feel as though she were being seen right through. She asked with genuine curiosity.
Saiki usually maintained an aura of complete detachment from the world, so Shizune and Genhai were also very curious.
Having already prepared his answer, Saiki spoke directly. "My name is Saiki Shiroya. I am a Genin. I don't really have any strong likes or dislikes. As for a dream... I don't really have one of those either. If I had to say something, I suppose I wish for world peace."
Kushina was an optimistic, cheerful, and highly motivated person with a fiery temper. Saiki's utterly unmotivated, lackadaisical attitude instantly sparked her anger.
"Speak clearly! What do you mean you have no likes or dislikes? Are you just patronizing me?" Kushina demanded fiercely. A faint red chakra began to leak from her body, and her crimson hair began to float ominously without any wind.
Though she seemed brash, Kushina was not easily fooled. The self-introduction was a crucial step for a Jonin commander to understand their students and figure out how to train them.
In truth, Saiki just wanted to say, "I don't need training."
Seeing that he couldn't just brush her off, Saiki sighed and elaborated. "I'm just a normal guy. I genuinely don't have favorite foods or foods I hate; as long as it isn't disgusting, I'll eat it. As for a dream... I want to be wealthy and live a happy, stable, peaceful life. And if possible, marrying a few beautiful wives wouldn't be bad either."
Kushina had been furious, but watching Saiki sigh like a dried-up salted fish, radiating a profound weariness with life, her anger suddenly evaporated.
Was Saiki's dream not, in its own way, a grand one? In this war-torn world, how many people could truly live a happy, healthy, and stable life until the end of their days?
More importantly, Kushina had reviewed their files beforehand. Saiki was a war orphan from the battlefield; it was understandable that he carried such a bleak, desolate outlook.
Little did she know, this was simply the sigh of a man whose combined mental age from two lifetimes was well over thirty!
"How boring! Alright, enough talk. Let's see what you're actually made of!"
With that, Kushina reached into her ninja pouch and pulled out two connected bells.